Panchkula, March 28
Haryana education minister Phool Chand Mullana today had first hand experience of the hiccups in the smooth implementation of Haryana's ambitious EDUSAT programme. In a session plagued with problems of connectivity, unclear transmission and poor sound quality, the minister announced that all government primary and senior secondary schools would be connected through the EDUSAT network by the end of May this year.

Addressing the first-ever tele-conference on the network from the DIET Building, Sector 2, here he said the biggest ever initiative in the country would help in providing quality teaching to students in every corner of the state. Primary classes would be given lessons in English and mathematics.

Announcing that students of senior secondary schools and final year of colleges had begun benefiting from the programme, he stated that the AIEEE classes for science students of Class XII had elicited tremendous response. "Our motto is to provide uniform and quality education across the board and EDUSAT is our key to this," he said.

Mullana announced that a subsidy of Rs 1 lakh would be provided to government aided recognised colleges if they want to connect with the EDUSAT system while private schools would only require to install a direct-to-home dish and could get transmission. "We are not going to charge any fee for that," he remarked.

In response to a question, the minister said the curriculum material in both Hindi and English for primary classes and arts stream senior secondary school students was being prepared.

The department will confine the transmission to four days while leaving one day for practicals and Saturdays for the teacher to recapitulate the entire week's lesson for the students.

Meanwhile, in the interaction with district correspondents across the state, a reporter from Gurgaon asked the minister to explain how students would benefit from the programme if the connectivity problem continues. "Sometimes there is no connection, at other times there is no sound or light," the reporter said. The minister replied that subsequently all such problems would be addressed.

At the centre in Mewat, there was no power and the reporters sat in pitch darkness, asking questions. At Ambala, the minister answered questions pertaining to cases of molestation in government schools, but nothing on the working of EDUSAT. 

Karnal, March 28
The fifth Oasis Kraft Mela began this evening with fanfare at the Oasis tourist complex at Uchana, on the GT Road, near here.

The 10-day long mela is being organised with assistance from the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the state government. Chief Secretary Prem Prashant was the chief guest at the inaugural function.

Over 200 craftsmen from different states are participating in the event. On the occasion the astistes sponsored by the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC) presented a programme. Today’s musical evening performances included Haryanvi and Rajasthani folk dances, raagani besides others.

Panchkula, March 28
Parents admitting their wards in the private unrecognised schools of Haryana will be doing so at their own risk when the admission season takes off on April 1 this year. This is because the Education Department will require about a month to decide the issue of their schools' recognition.

The private schools, some of who have applied for recognition with their respective District Education Offices, will, meanwhile, begin the admission process as per schedule. "There are 20,000 schools all over the state and we have no intention of stalling the admissions for want of recognition. We fulfil the condition of the specified area required to set up a school and other norms. However, we cannot meet the requirement of procuring a change-of-land-use certificate or 35 per cent covered area," Onkar Chand, a member of the Haryana Unrecognised Schools Association, says.

The protesting teachers and school heads are hopeful that the Haryana Government will soften its stand and appreciate their problems in fulfiling all conditions. Banking on this, the schools are hopeful of securing the recognition from the Education Department.

However, the department and the Education Minister, Phool Chand Mullana, are singing an altogether different tune. Though they seem unclear of the fate of students so admitted in these unrecognised schools who fail to get recognition at the end of the exercise, their only offer is that the doors of the government schools are open for all such shunted-out students.

Mullana said at the most they could allow these private schools to extend the last date of admissions till April 30. "Our inspection reports will be ready in April since it is a tedious job and would require personal visits to each such school which has applied for recognition.

Our report can be prepared only after carrying out inspections. It was at the request of the schools that we extended the last date for applying for recognition," he explained.

The officers of the department, too, expressed their inability to check admissions to all such schools till the issue of recognition is resolved. The Commissioner and Secretary, RS Gujral, as also the Director, Secondary Education, Anil Malik, said it was up to the schools to decide the course of action.

"They can defer their admissions if they think they are unlikely to get recognition. If they fulfil the norms, they can proceed with the admission. The onus is on the school. We will not go and tell these schools to apply for recognition. We will only carry out inspections at schools from those who have put in their applications," the officers said. 

Yamunanagar, March 28
Pradeep Rathore has been elected president of the District Bar Association and Harbhan Singh Sandhu general secretary. Elections to five posts of the association were held this morning.

Rathore got 289 votes. He defeated Karnesh Sharma by 153 votes. Sharma got 136 votes while two other aspirants for the post Suresh Dandha and Juggal Kishore Sharma managed only 118 and 14 votes, respectively.

Returning officer for the election J.S. Deswal said 570 of the 580 mambers participated in the election. Sandhu got 347 posts while his rival got only 197.

Gulab Singh polled 296 votes more for the post of vice-president of the association than his rival Ramneek Singh (197 votes). Mukesh Dadwa defeated Naresh Kochhar and was elected joint secretary. Dadwa got 290 votes while Kochhar was choice of only 254 members. Pawan Mago has been elected cashier. He polled 83 votes more than his rival Sanjeev Sharma.

Rewari, March 28
Following the dying declaration of Asha Devi, wife of Sanjay of Ajay Nagar Colony here, which was recorded by S.K. Gupta, executive magistrate, Vasant Vihar, Delhi, at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi where she succumbed to her burns on Friday (March 23), the police here has booked her husband Sanjay and mother-in-law Heera Devi of Ajay Nagar Colony here for her death and abetment to suicide.

A case under Sections 304-B, 306, and 34 of the IPC has been registered against them. On Friday (March 23), Asha Devi had an altercation with husband Sanjay, who thrashed her after which she sprinkled kerosene and set herself ablaze.

In a critical condition, she was taken to the Civil Hospital here where doctors referred her to Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. But when her condition worsened, the Delhi Police sent for executive magistrate S.K. Gupta who recorded her statement in which she reportedly made it known that her harassment for dowry by her in-laws had forced her to set herself on fire.

Jhajjar, March 28
Acting against those who blocked roads on the slightest of provocation, the district police today registered a case against some persons for blocking the Jhajjar-Dadri road in Chhuchhakwas village today.

The police action followed after some villagers came to the road to protest against the detention of a village youth, Pawan, who reportedly misbehaved with a police party, which had gone to the village yesterday to resolve a dispute between two brothers.

Yamunanagar, March 28
Two armed youths on a motor cycle robbed a Delhi-based trader of cash and a licensed revolver on the Workshop road here this afternoon. The police set up nakas to nab the culprits but in vain.

The police said Sandeep, a trader and of Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, had left his Indica car to collect payment from a shopkeeper. His driver Yogesh was in the car. Two persons carrying a firearm took away Rs 90,000 kept in a brief case and a licensed revolver of Sandeep from the car.

Yamunanagar, March 28
Around 250 vehicle registration certificates (RCs) and driving licences (DLs) sent through couriers to the addresses given in application forms have come back to the SDM’s office as addressees were not living at given addresses. Several applicants allege their documents have not been delivered to them even after the expiry of due dates.

An official said applicants did not bother to fill proper addresses in application forms. In such cases officials concerned and applicants face problems because the documents could not be delivered and more than 250 RCs and DLs were with the officials after coming back ‘undelivered’ by the courier company hired by the administration. This system of home delivery of documents was adopted by the administration to the benefit of the applicants and save them from visiting the registration and licencing office for enquiry.

Sources said people approach touts for obtaining such documents and they generally do not bother to give complete addresses. By introducing the touch screen test for learner’s driving licence the administration did succeed in keeping touts at bay but for other applications including RCs touts were “helping” applicants.

People also use RCs and DLs as proof address of (also DLs as identity proof) for various purposes including obtaining loans and PAN cards and incomplete or wrong address on such documents could be misused.

Meanwhile, four persons (Mohind Jindal of HUDA, Rakesh Kumar of Indra Garden, Ved Kumar of Damla and Arjun Sharma of Salempur) today alleged they had not yet got RCs and DLs even after these having been dispatched from the licensing and registration authority’s office (popularly known as SDM office) in the civil secretariat in Jagadhri. The added as per enquiries by them their documents were dispatched through a courier on March 5 and even after 25 days these had not reached them. They said they went to the courier company for enquiry but the latter did not give them satisfactory reply. The courier company could not be contacted.

SDM Narinder Singh said to do away with such problems the applicants now would have to ensure that they mention even street name or in the application forms. For the undelivered documents a list would be displayed soon in the office so that the applicants could collect it, said the SDM.

Ambala, March 28
All schools of Haryana will be connected through a satellite and ISRO has agreed to provide five channels for imparting education to students living in remote areas under the Edusat programme.

This was stated by education minister, Haryana, Phool Chand Mullana on the sidelines of a programme called “education through satellite”. The minister said it was the Hooda government that had launched the novel scheme for imparting quality education. As many as 9,025 primary schools would be covered under the programme in a phased manner.

At present two channels are being used under the programme. The Edusat facility is available in 14 schools and other 57 schools are being covered soon. As many as 519 primary schools of Ambala district will be brought under the programme in a phased manner.

Chowkidars are being appointed in each school on a priority basis as the equipment used for imparting education through satellite are expensive.

Mullana said 1000 schools, where the programme could not be implemented due to a lack of power, would soon get electricity connections.